I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for heating a building, and, in particular, the present invention relates to a system for selectively circulating air taken from inside a building past condensers of a refrigeration system to preheat the air prior to the air being heated by a conventional furnace,
II. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore numerous examples of heating and refrigeration systems have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,622 issued in 1957 to Bourassa discloses an air conditioner of the refrigerant absorption type for use in conjunction with automobiles wherein a water refrigerant and a lithium bromide absorbent are employed. The device disclosed in the Bourassa reference makes use of waste heat from the engine's exhaust to activate the generator while regulation thereof is accomplished by means of a domper valve and an exhaust bypass mechanism. While the Bourassa invention employs elements common to the absorption cycle including a generator, separator, condenser, absorber, expansion orifice, evaporator, and heat exchanger, the device is limited to air-cooling systems for autos and does not contemplate a more efficient heating means for buildings of the type encompassed by the applicant's present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,953,907 issued in 1960 to Cicco also discloses an air conditioner of the absorption type for automobiles. The refrigerant utilized is a dichlorodifluroromethane, and the absorbent is ethylether of diethylene glycol acetate. While this patent does disclose means for automatically regulating the air-conditioning system over a wide range of temperatures in response to the temperature of the automobile's passengers' compartment, it is lacking in the inventive heat-transferring elements of applicant's present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,469 issued in 1964 to Quick discloses a system of heating and cooling for buildings which includes a compressed refrigerant gas-cooling mechanism and a fire-forced air heater. While this device does make use of heat discharged by Refrigeration units such as freezers, display cases, and the like to economically heat the building in which these units are located, through a system of heat exchangers and dompers, the system does not make use of the absorption refrigeration concept as presently disclosed and particularly adapted for use in conjunction with standard forced-air furnaces.
Other examples of prior art teachings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,742; U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,674 U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,867; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,527.
In modern stores and supermarkets, it is common to have numerous refrigerated boxes, display cases, and cabinets. Generally, a normal refrigeration cycle and equipment are employed for maintaining the proper temperature in such boxes, cases, and cabinets wherein a suitable refrigerant compressed in a compressor passes through a condenser where it gives up heat and it changes to a liquid and then is passed through an expansion valve to an evaporator which is positioned within the refrigerated box, case, or cabinet to absorb heat and change the refrigerant back to a gaseous state by recompressing and thus completing the cycle. Alternately, an absorption refrigeration system of the type well known in the art may be utilized. Such absorption refrigeration systems comprise a generator, a condenser, an evaporator, and an absorber interconnected to provide paths of flow for the refrigerant and the absorber. The solution of refrigerant and absorber in the generator is heated to expel refrigerant vapor therefrom which, in turn, is then delivered to the condenser wherein it is condensed to a liquid by transfer of its heat of vaporization to an ambient medium at a lower temperature. The liquid refrigerant from the condenser is delivered to the evaporator where it evaporates at a relatively low pressure which produces the refrigerating effect. In both types of refrigeration processes the common practice is to allow the heat given off by the condenser to be discharged as a waste product of the refrigeration cycle.
The air within such stores, markets, or buildings is generally circulated and heated or cooled to provide a comfortable condition for customers and/or the building occupants. This circulating and heating or cooling is usually accomplished by aparatus completely separate from and independent of the equipment used for accomplishing the refrigeration of the boxes, display cases, and cabinets within the store market and/or building; and thus energy is expended from the heating or cooling of a building which would otherwise not be necessary if the heat, exhausted from the aforementioned refrigeration systems, was more efficiently utilized.